The “public shaming of those deemed moral transgressors” and the use of mass media for partisan advantage are as old as the Republic. A prominent Republican newspaper, for example, called George Washington a traitor and his Farewell Address “the loathings of a sick mind.” And Federalists declared that Republicans intended to bring “a reign of terror to America from France.”
Fast forward to this week, when Republican hardliners “cancelled” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — a first in American history.
What has changed, however, is the capacity to spread harmful speech “beyond anything we have encountered before.” In a phenomenon often referred to as “cancel culture,” social media users can reach, mobilize, and incite large and partisan communities in a matter of hours to shame individuals or groups for perceived moral failings.
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